Pat Connaughton shakes off ‘deceptively athletic’ label, eager to prove his worth in the NBA

Connaughton gives a fist pump after Notre Dame defeated Wichita State and advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. Getty Images

By Jack Andrade and video by Ryan Breslin

June 9, 2015

5 minutes to read

Pat Connaughton is an underdog trapped in the body of a thoroughbred. The former Notre Dame basketball star is projected to be a late first to mid-second round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, thanks to a stock-raising performance at the NBA scouting combine that saw him flash a 44-inch vertical leap and dominate the agility drills.

“People close to me, people on my team, coaches, people back home around here all knew how athletic I was,’’ Connaughton said. “It was just a matter of showing it on that next level.’’

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The “sneaky’’ or “deceptively’’ athletic label is one of the racially coded phrases often used to describe athletes based on their skin color. As a reference point, Vice Sports points out that over ESPN’s three day broadcast of the 2015 NFL Draft, the words “dynamic’’ and “explosive’’ were used exclusively to describe black players, whereas “intelligent’’ and “workmanlike’’ were used exclusively on white athletes.

“There’s no more deceptive,’’ Erik Kaloyanides, Connaughton’s trainer of eight years, said of his star pupil. “Deceptive was, for whatever reason, a word that was commonly used to describe him. I think the combine completely squashed that.’’

With any concerns about his athleticism erased, Connaughton’s biggest obstacle to the NBA is himself. Remember the NCAA commercials, “most of us are going pro in something other than sports?’’ Those weren’t about him.

A baseball star at Notre Dame as well, Connaughton was drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles gave him a signing bonus worth over $400,000, but Connaughton is steadfast in his commitment to basketball.

“The thought process that I’m trying to put in teams’ heads is I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t fully committed to basketball,’’ Connaughton says. “I wouldn’t be putting all this time in and flying around the country, I‘d be working at baseball if that’s what I really wanted to do at this very moment in my life.’’

Amazingly enough, Connaughton might have left his best sport behind once he reached college. A quarterback in high school at St. John’s Prep, his right arm that makes him a baseball prospect on the mound also made him a star on the gridiron.

“The major sports, I’ve always enjoyed playing,’’ Connaughton said. “I played football in high school and it was something that my dad always gives me crap for because he thought – and a lot of people thought – that football might be my best sport. It was kind of the best of two worlds being able to combine the athleticism I have with my arm strength in one sport.’’

Is there any sport he can’t play?

“I would say I’m not the best ping pong player,’’ Connaughton laughs. “I think that’s something I struggle with.’’

Despite demonstrating rare athletic ability and a skill set diverse enough to make him a two-sport pro prospect, Connaughton says his greatest strength as an athlete can’t be measured by a stopwatch or a radar gun.

“I think strength wise it’s just work ethic,’’ Connaughton said, when asked what makes him a great athlete. “It’s the clutch factor, shall we say, the fact that I don’t think it’s any irony that I tend to end up on the winning side of ball games. I think the end goal is to win the game, regardless of what my team needs from me, whether it’s to score 25 a night or whether it’s to sacrifice scoring and rebound and defend. I’ve kind of showed all that throughout my career at Notre Dame.’’

Connaughton won’t admit to any weaknesses, only to aspects of his game he says weren’t needed for Notre Dame to be at its best. He averaged 12.5 points per game, a team-high 7.3 rebounds, and shot 42 percent from behind the arc during the 2014-2015 season, leading the Fighting Irish to a berth in the Elite Eight.

“To make our offense as efficient as we could, we had guys who were phenomenal at certain things, and we just played to our strengths. We had one of the best offenses in America,’’ Connaughton says, discussing how well-rounded a player he aims to be. “So it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was just that it wasn’t what was most efficient. And to be honest I’m always fine with settling for W’s.’’[fragment number=1]

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Asked what player he models himself after or compares himself to, Connaughton cites Wesley Matthews, a former undrafted shooting guard with a similar build and skill set, set to hit free agency this offseason after an Achilles injury ruined what was his fifth straight season of productivity averaging at least 13.7 points per game.

An Arlington, Massachusetts native, Connaughton stressed the importance of returning to his roots – his home, his family, and his trainer – to get ready for the NBA. And while he says it’d be “awesome’’ to play for his hometown Celtics, who are working him out on Wednesday, he’s more concerned with going to a team that can use him.

“You grow up in the Boston area, you’re a Celtics fan your whole life,’’ Connaughton said. “But at the same time, you want to play for a team that you fit into, that you can contribute to in some way, whether it’s with toughness, whether it’s with rebounding, whether it’s with perimeter shooting, whether it’s a little bit of everything.’’

He’s had success at every stage of his athletic career, but Connaughton still acts like he has something to prove. Whether that’s proving he can handle playing two sports at Notre Dame, proving he can match up athletically with any shooting guard in the NBA, or just proving that he’s committed to any NBA team willing to give him a shot, Connaughton shows no desire to ditch the chip on his shoulder.

“No matter where I go I’m going to give that team my full, undivided attention and I’m going to do everything I can to win as many games with them as I possibly can,’’ Connaughton said. “I’m here for the long haul and I can help a team win.’’

Pat Connaughton: From Arlington to Notre Dame to the NBA

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